The Italian open data meteorological portal: MISTRAL

AbstractAt the national level, in Italy, observational and forecast data are collected by various public bodies and are often kept in various small, heterogeneous and non‐interoperable repositories, released under different licenses, thus limiting the usability for external users. In this context, MISTRAL (the Meteo Italian SupercompuTing PoRtAL) was launched as the first Italian meteorological open data portal, with the aim of promoting the reuse of meteorological data sets available at national level coverage. The MISTRAL portal provides (and archives) meteorological data from various observation networks, both public and private, and forecast data that are generated and post‐processed within the Consortium for Small‐scale Modeling‐Limited Area Model Italia (COSMO‐LAMI) agreement using high performance computing (HPC) facilities. Also incorporated is the Italy Flash Flood use case, implemented with the collaboration of European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which exploits cutting edge advances in HPC‐based post‐processing of ensemble precipitation forecasts, for different model resolutions, and applies those to deliver novel blended‐resolution forecasts specifically for Italy. Finally, in addition to providing architectures for the acquisition and display of observational data, MISTRAL also delivers an interactive system for visualizing forecast data of different resolutions as superimposed multi‐layer maps

Un network italiano di Anfipodologi

Attività e potenzialità del Network Italiano di Anfipodolog

Tra editoria e universit\ue0. I risultati del gruppo di lavoro Universit\ue0 di Verona, CINECA e Aie

Nel corso del 2015 l\u2019Universit\ue0 di Verona, con la partnership del consorzio interuniversitario CINECA e di Aie, ha coordinato un progetto di ricerca volto a promuovere la collaborazione fra atenei tramite la creazione di dottorati congiunti e la condivisione delle tesi di dottorato, ponendo al contempo le basi per lo studio delle problematiche connesse all\u2019utilizzo dei file delle pubblicazioni degli editori all\u2019interno degli archivi di ateneo.L\u2019iniziativa, intitolata Dottorato congiunto con enti di ricerca accreditati VQR e messa in condivisione delle tesi di dottorato tra Universit\ue0 degli studi di Verona e atenei partner secondo la politica Open Access con il contributo tecnico di CINECA attraverso la specializzazione del portale PLEIADI, si \ue8 conclusa con la pubblicazione dei risultati del lavoro di ricerca condotto lungo il progetto, che raccolgono i contributi di ciascun partner

Chemoreception of the Seagrass Posidonia Oceanica by Benthic Invertebrates is Altered by Seawater Acidification

Several plants and invertebrates interact and communicate by means of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These compounds may play the role of infochemicals, being able to carry complex information to selected species, thus mediating inter- or intra-specific communications. Volatile organic compounds derived from the wounding of marine diatoms, for example, carry information for several benthic and planktonic invertebrates. Although the ecological importance of VOCs has been demonstrated, both in terrestrial plants and in marine microalgae, their role as infochemicals has not been demonstrated in seagrasses. In addition, benthic communities, even the most complex and resilient, as those associated to seagrass meadows, are affected by ocean acidification at various levels. Therefore, the acidification of oceans could produce interference in the way seagrass-associated invertebrates recognize and choose their specific environments. We simulated the wounding of Posidonia oceanica leaves collected at two sites (a control site at normal pH, and a naturally acidified site) off the Island of Ischia (Gulf of Naples, Italy). We extracted the VOCs and tested a set of 13 species of associated invertebrates for their specific chemotactic responses in order to determine if: a) seagrasses produce VOCs playing the role of infochemicals, and b) their effects can be altered by seawater pH. Our results indicate that several invertebrates recognize the odor of wounded P. oceanica leaves, especially those strictly associated to the leaf stratum of the seagrass. Their chemotactic reactions may be modulated by the seawater pH, thus impairing the chemical communications in seagrass-associated communities in acidified conditions. In fact, 54 % of the tested species exhibited a changed behavioral response in acidified waters (pH 7.7). Furthermore, the differences observed in the abundance of invertebrates, in natural vs. acidified field conditions, are in agreement with these behavioral changes. Therefore, leaf-produced infochemicals may influence the structure of P. oceanica epifaunal communities, and their effects can be regulated by seawater acidification

Indirect effects may buffer negative responses of seagrass invertebrate communities to ocean acidification

Ocean acidification has been shown to have highly variable effects, with many negative and some positive responses from individual species, while community level effects are largely unknown. Although an overall loss of biodiversity is expected, predicting the effects of ocean acidification on whole assemblages can be problematic as both direct and indirect effects of acidification must be taken into consideration. This study demonstrates how invertebrate assemblages associated with the highly productive seagrass, Posidonia oceanica, respond to natural acidification that occurs at CO2 vents off the coast of Italy. We examined seasonal differences in invertebrate community structure between two distinct pH zones: control (pH 8.1) and acidified (pH 7.8) and show that many groups of invertebrate taxa were robust to acidification effects. Differences in community struc- ture appeared to be driven by the indirect effects of acidification, such as changes to canopy structure and food availability, rather than physiological intolerance to low pH. The number of invertebrates collected in acidified stations was almost double that of control stations during the study and many heavily calcified species appeared to thrive. These results highlight how positive indirect effects may buffer the ecological impacts of acidification, and provide evidence that this highly productive, nearshore habitat may provide refuge to its associated commu- nities from future ocean acidification

Relevance of wound-activated compounds produced by diatoms as toxins and infochemicals for benthic invertebrates

Plants evolve the production of wound-activated compounds (WACs) to reduce grazing pressure. In addition, several plant-produced WACs are recognized by various invertebrates, playing the role of infochemicals. Due to co-evolutionary processes, some invertebrates recognize plant infochemicals and use them to identify possible prey, detect the presence of predators or identify algae containing various classes of toxic metabolites. Different metabolites present in the same algae can play the role of toxins, infochemicals or both simultaneously. We investigated the infochemical activity of compounds extracted from three diatoms epiphytes of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica, by conducting choice experiments on invertebrates living in the same community or in close proximity. Furthermore, the specific toxicity of the extracts obtained from the same algae was tested on sea urchin embryos using a standard bioassay procedure, to detect the presence of toxins. The comparison of the two effects demonstrated that invertebrates are subjected to diatom wound-activated toxicants when these algae are not associated with their own habitat, but they are able to recognize volatile infochemicals derived from diatoms associated with their habitats. The specific toxicity of WACs was shown to be inversely correlated to the perceptive ability of invertebrates towards volatile compounds liberated by the same algae. Hence, when the recognition of specific algae by a given invertebrate species evolves, their detrimental effects on the receiving organism may be lost

Ocean acidification alters the responses of invertebrates to wound-activated infochemicals produced by epiphytes of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica

Ocean acidification (OA) influences the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by seagrass leaves and their associated epiphytes. We hypothesize that the perception of odour produced by seagrass leaf epiphytes will change with seawater acidification, affecting the behaviour of seagrass-associated invertebrates. To test this hypothesis, we collected epiphytes from leaves of Posidonia oceanica growing at two pH conditions (7.7 and 8.1) and identified the most abundant genera of diatoms. We tested the VOCs produced at pH 8.1 by the epiphytic communities in toto, as well as those produced by selected diatoms, on various invertebrates. A complex set of species-specific and concentration-dependent chemotactic reactions was recorded, according to the pH of seawater. In particular, VOCs produced by individual diatoms triggered contrasting reactions in invertebrates, depending on the pH. The perception of epiphyte VOCs is likely to vary due to alteration of species ability to perceive and/or interpret chemical cues as infochemicals or due to changes in the structure of VOCs themselves. Thus, OA alters the fine-tuned chemical cross-talks between seagrass epiphytes and associated invertebrates, with potential consequences for the structure of communities and food webs of seagrass ecosystems

Analysis of CT features and quantitative texture analysis in patients with thymic tumors: correlation with grading and staging

Objectives: To evaluate potential relationship between qualitative CT features, quantitative texture analysis (QTA), histology, WHO staging, Masaoka classification and myasthenic syndrome in patients with thymic tumors. Materials and methods: Sixteen patients affected by histologically proven thymic tumors were retrospectively included in the study population. Clinical information, with special regard to myasthenic syndrome and serological positivity of anti-AchR antibodies, were recorded. Qualitative CT evaluation included the following parameters: (a) location; (b) tumor edges; (c) necrosis; (d) pleural effusion; (e) metastases; (f) chest wall infiltration; (g) tumor margins. QTA included evaluation of “Mean” (M), “Standard Deviation” (SD), “Kurtosis” (K), “Skewness” (S), “Entropy” (E), “Shape from Texture” (TX_sigma) and “average of positive pixels” (MPP). Pearson–Rho test was used to evaluate the relationship of continuous non-dichotomic parameters, whereas Mann–Whitney test was used for dichotomic parameters. Results: Histological evaluation demonstrated thymoma in 12 cases and thymic carcinoma in 4 cases. Tumor necrosis was significantly correlated with QTA Mean (p = 0.0253), MPP (p = 0.0417), S (p = 0.0488) and K (p = 0.0178). WHO staging was correlated with Mean (p = 0.0193), SD (p = 0.0191) and MPP (p = 0.0195). Masaoka classification was correlated with Mean (p = 0.0322), MPP (p = 0.0315), skewness (p = 0.0433) and Kurtosis (p = 0.0083). Myasthenic syndrome was significantly associated with Mean (p = 0.0211) and MPP (p = 0.0261), whereas tumor size was correlated with Mean (p = 0.0241), entropy (p = 0.0177), MPP (p = 0.0468), skewness (p = 0.009) and Kurtosis (p = 0.006). Conclusion: Our study demonstrates significant relationship between radiomics parameters, histology, grading and clinical manifestations of thymic tumors

Analysis of CT features and quantitative texture analysis in patients with lung adenocarcinoma: a correlation with EGFR mutations and survival rates

AIM: To investigate the correlation between conventional computed tomography (CT) features, quantitative texture analysis (QTA), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, and survival rates in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-eight patients were evaluated for conventional CT features and QTA in this retrospective study. A multiple logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis versus death and EGFR status was performed for CT features and QTA in order to assess correlation between CT features, QTA, EGFR mutations, and survival rates. A p-value <0.05 was regarded to indicate a statistically significant association. RESULTS: An EGFR mutation was identified in 26/68 tumours (38.2%). A negative association was found between EGFR mutation and emphysema (p < 0.0001) whereas a positive correlation was found with necrosis (p=0.017), air bronchogram (p=0.0304), and locoregional infiltration (p=0.0018). Mean, standard deviation, and skewness were found to have significant correlation with EGFR mutation (p=0.0001; p=0.0001; p=0.0459; Fig 3). The only parameter correlated with the event death was entropy (r=0.2708; p=0.0329). CONCLUSION: Both qualitative and quantitative analysis disclosed potential associations between CT features and QTA parameters, EGFR mutations and prognosis; these correlations need to be confirmed in larger studies to be used as imaging biomarkers in the management of patients affected by lung adenocarcinoma